Chapter 11.

Radiation

How accelerating charges and changing currents

produce electromagnetic waves, how they radiate.

11.1.1 What is Radiation?

Assume a radiation source is localized near the origin.
Total power passing out through a spherical shell is the integral of the Poynting vector:

The total power radiated from the source is the limit of this quantity as r goes to infinity:

Since the area of the sphere is 4r2, so for radiation to occur (for Prad not to be zero),
the Poynting vector must decrease (at large r) no faster than 1/r2.
But, according to Coulombs law and Bio-Savart law, S ~ 1/r4 for static configurations.
Static sources do not radiate!
Jefimenko's Equations indicate that time dependent fields include terms that go like 1/ r; ( and J )
it is these terms that are responsible for electromagnetic radiation.

The study of radiation, then, involves picking out the parts of E and B that go like 1/ r
at large distances from the source, constructing from them the 1/r2 term in S,
integrating over a large spherical surface, and taking the limit as r infinite.

11.1.2 Electric Dipole Radiation

Suppose the charge back and forth through the wire, from one end to the other,
at an angular frequency :

P
Dipole charge:

q(t )

Current:
Electric dipole:

q(t )
From the retarded potentials of a point charge given by (Eq. 10.19),

the retarded scalar and vector potentials at P are

Retarded scalar potential:

Approximation 1 : d r

To make a perfect dipole, assume d to be extremely small

Approximation 2 : d = 2c/

Assume d to be extremely smaller than wavelength

In the static limit ( 0),

Approximation 3 : r = 2c/

Assume r to be larger than wavelength (far-field radiation)

Retarded vector potential:

d r
Retarded potentials:

 Electric dipole radiation

Far-field radiation
d r

E and B are in phase, mutually perpendicular, and transverse; the ratio of their amplitudes is E0lB0 = c.
These are actually spherical waves, not plane waves, and their amplitude decreases like 1/r.
The energy radiated by an oscillating electric dipole is determined by the Poynting vector:

: Intensity obtained by averaging

: total power radiated

11.1.3 Magnetic Dipole Radiation

Magnetic dipole moment of an oscillating loop current :
where
The loop is uncharged, so the scalar potential is zero.
The retarded vector potential is

For a point r directly above the x axis, A must aim in the y direction,
since the x components from symmetrically placed points on either side of the x axis will cancel.
(cos ' serves to pick out the y-component of dI').

Magnetic Dipole Radiation

Approximation 1 : b r

For a "perfect" dipole, the loop must be extremely small:

Approximation 2 : b = 2c/

Assume b to be extremely smaller than wavelength

Magnetic Dipole Radiation

And, noting that in general A points in the -direction.

In the static limit ( = 0),

Approximation 3 : r = 2c/

Assume r to be larger than wavelength (far-field radiation)

Far-field radiation
d r

These fields are in phase, mutually perpendicular, and transverse to the direction of propagation (r)
and the ratio of their amplitudes is Eo/Bo = c, all of which is as expected for electromagnetic waves.

Electric dipole radiation

d r

Energy flux:
Total power radiated:

Magnetic dipole radiation

b r

Energy flux:
Total power radiated:

There is a remarkable similarity between the fields of oscillating electric and magnetic dipoles.
One important difference between electric and magnetic dipole radiation is that for configurations
with comparable dimensions, the power radiated electrically is enormously greater.
Approximation 2
b = 2c/

11.1.4 Radiation from an Arbitrary Source

Consider a configuration of charge and current that is entirely arbitrary.
The retarded scalar potential is

Approximation 1 : r r (far field)

Expanding as a Taylor series in t about the retarded time at the origin,

Approximation 2 : r = 2c/
r r

(Q: total charge)

In the static case, the first two terms are the monopole and dipole contributions

Radiation from an Arbitrary Source

Now, consider the vector potential:

To first order in r' it suffices to replace

by r in the integrand:

(Ignore the effect of magnetic dipole moment)

(according to Prob. 5.7)

Approximation 3 : r = 2c/discard 1/r2 terms in E and B)

Radiation from an Arbitrary Source

In particular, if we use spherical polar coordinates, with the z axis in the direction of

Notice that E and B are mutually perpendicular, transverse to the direction of propagation (r)
and in the ratio E/B = c, as always for radiation fields.
Poynting vector:
Total radiated power:
If the electric dipole moment should happen to vanish (or, at any rate, if its second time derivative is zero),
then there is no electric dipole radiation, and one must look to the next term: the one of second order in r'.
As it happens, this term can be separated into two parts, one of which is related to the magnetic dipole
moment of the source, the other to its electric quadrupole moment (The former is a generalization of the
magnetic dipole radiation).
If the magnetic dipole and electric quadrupole contributions vanish, the (r')3 term must be considered.
This yields magnetic quadrupole and electric octopole radiation ... and so it goes.